Ravinia 2024 Issue 3

PAVILION 7:30 PM FRIDAY, JULY 26, 2024 CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MARIN ALSOP, conductor APOLLO CHORUS OF CHICAGO STEPHEN ALLTOP, music director HOLST The Planets , op. 32 Mars, the Bringer of War Venus, the Bringer of Peace Mercury, the Winged Messenger Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age Uranus, the Magician Neptune, the Mystic Apollo Chorus of Chicago Introduction to THE MOONS Amanda Lee Falkenberg , Composer Elizabeth “Zibi” Turtle , Dragonfly Mission, Principal Investigator; Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory Prof. Michele Dougherty , European Space Agency Juice Mission, Principal Investigator; Imperial College London Nicole Stott , NASA Astronaut; Space for Art Foundation, Artist and Founding Director FALKENBERG THE MOONS Symphonic Suite * Io, Celestial Tug of War Europa, Is There an Ocean? Titan, Equatorial Dunes and Methane Monsoons Enceladus, Rows and Rows of Gigantic Geysers Miranda, Monolithic Cliff Ganymede, Magnetic Forces and Colossal Discoveries Part 1—The Science Chapter Part 2—The Galileo Chapter Earth Moon, Earthrise—The Overview There will be no intermission in this program. * First performance by the CSO and at Ravinia Ravinia expresses its appreciation for the generous support of Mainstage Sponsor Jennifer Steans and James Kastenholz, in memory of Lois Steans , and Spotlight Sponsor Ellen Rudnick and Paul Earle , as well as The Planets Consortium , which comprises Helen S. Rubinstein, in memory of Michael J. Rubinstein, and Bobette Takiff. Ravinia is grateful for the Lead Sponsorship of Breaking Barriers 2024 In Honor of Sandra K. Crown . GUSTAV HOLST (1874–1934) The Planets , op. 32 Scored for four flutes, two piccolos, and bass flute, three oboes, bass oboe, and English horn, three clarinets and bass clarinets, three bassoons and contrabassoon, six horns, four trumpets, two tenor trombones and one bass trombone, tenor and bass tubas, timpani, triangle, side drum, tambourine, cymbals, bass drum, gong, bells, glockenspiel, celesta, xylophone, two harps, organ, strings, and six-part women’s chorus A little-known teacher at St. Paul’s Girls’ School in London, Gustav Holst commanded interna- tional, though not entirely positive, attention with his orchestral suite, The Planets . The idea of writing an orchestral suite inspired by the planets—minus Earth and Pluto, a celestial body not yet discovered (and in our time “downgraded” to dwarf planet status)—first arose in 1913 during a trip to Mallorca with his good friend and munificent patron Balfour Gardiner, the composer Arnold Bax, and Bax’s brother Clifford. Holst immersed himself in the study of astrology, being particularly influenced by the planetary attributes outlined in Alan Leo’s What Is a Horoscope? As with his recent studies of Sanskrit, he initially delved into this subject for its musical potential: “I only study things that suggest music to me.” Conversations with Clifford Bax, the only non-skeptic in the vacationing group, solidified his confidence in an astrological suite. Holst embarked on this project in earnest the following summer at a hideaway cottage in the rural village of Thaxted. The first task involved establishing parameters for his most ambitious undertaking to date. Determined not to create a series of transparently programmatic pieces, Holst decided upon “mood pictures” metaphor- ically depicting the astrological characteristics of each planet. Aesthetic considerations, specifi- cally the arrangement of contrasting versus complementary personalities (“foils to one an- other”), took precedence over the correct order- ing of planets within the solar system. Mars, for example, opens the suite and is followed by Gustav Holst RAVINIAMAGAZINE • JULY 22 – AUGUST 4, 2024 58